About the list: This list took some time to complete since it's hard to define what "weird" means in the gothic country genre. You have to use another yardstick compared with other genres. Anyway, here it is.

No

Cover

Song/Album

Artist

Notes

1

Psalm of Slumber / Psalms for the Spiritually Dead

(2010)

Sons of Perdition

Jim Jones, former cult leader of the Peoples Temple, infamous due to the mass-murder suicide in Guyana in 1978. The members had a preference for recording and here are the last twisted words with chords. Read the full transcription here.

2

Grim Augury / Dark Night of the Soul (2009)

Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse (featuring Vic Chesnutt)

A man awakes from a nightmare. His wife accuses him of being with someone “during the dream” and wants to know who she is. He denies forcefully and then reluctantly tells her the truth. Some stones are best left unturned. Horrible stuff, indeed.

3

Immaculately Warded Children / Songs Through Eight

(2015)

DBUK

"Each morning I pass through the doors with hidden hinges / Bringing color to each cheek with a pinch and soft smack / They cringe and cower at my approach / Some get kind of twitchy / It seems they envy me my good heart."

4

When Jesus Comes / Ballads and Mental Breakdowns

(2008)

Uncle Sinner

A weird song with sampled "spoken word" from a record found in a thrift store in Steinbach, a small Mennonite town outside Winnipeg. It consists of a sermon where the aim seems to be to recruit members from a rival church. Read the full transcription here.

5

Jesus, He Loves Me + LSD / Texxxas

(2000)

Adult Rodeo

Jesus loves me. So far I get it. But loves LSD? Ambiguity is the trademark of Adult Rodeo. Even the band name is open to interpretation (either literally an adult rodeo or a sex toy). This is their weirdest song. There are many to choose from. A classic.

6

The Sideshow is Coming! / Moldy Basement Tapes

(2010)

Lonesome Wyatt and the Holy Spooks

One of Lonesome Wyatt’s earliest songs recorded in his parents moldy basement. The songs on the album are influenced by almost complete isolation, rural solitude and decay. Wyatt’s brother performed a cultural act when he saved the tapes for posterity. Weird experimental stuff.

7

I Wanna Be Your Zombie / Texas Whore Pleaser

(2007)

Slackeye Slim

Even if you’re living dead you may still be motivated to achieve certain needs (not food). You may also be better looking the second time you are around. This song is hilarious and weird. Slackeye Slim pulls out all the stops and shows his brilliance.

8

3 Ton Chain / Black River Falls

(2001)

Reverend Glasseye and His Wooden Legs

This song begins “Mary held on to the three ton chain / Every little link was in our Lord's name”. Reverend Glasseye was too talented for his own good and never got the rightful appreciation he deserved. This is pure weird quality.

9

Grandfater / Peter & The Wulf

(2010)

Munly & The Lupercalians

Grandfater (sic?) is a song from the first and only album in the Lupercalia-project, a series of multi-albums about the fictional town of Lupercalia and the people who live there (loosely based on the Peter and the Wolf composition by Sergei Prokofiev).

10

Moonshiner / Compendium

(2009)

The Dad Horse Experience

"The Moonshiner" is a folk song with disputed origins (Irish or American). The song is always performed solemny with empathy. Until Dad Horse came along and made his version. I wouldn’t say it's disrespectful, but definitely twangy and weird.